MSD

OK, here's the deal. I'll be turning 21 in January, which will mean I can start filing paperwork to obtain a concealed carry permit. I'm lucky enough to live ina shall-issue state, and since my record is clean and anyone you ask can tell you that I take firearm safety seriously, there should be no problem with the in-person stuff.

What I'm not sure about is what sort of gun I want to get. I stand at a full 6'8" tall (203cm for the metrc-minded) with a large frame, and weigh in at nearly 300 pounds (136kg.) I can comfortably conceal just about anything (Just for illustration, while airsofting with friends, I have completely hidden an airsoft shotgun with dimensions identical to those of a sawed-off 870 in my pants and maintained a full range of motion.)

What I want to hear from the wise people of TFP is reccomendations for something that meets a few criteria.

1: Reliable.
2: Good stopping power
3: Reasonably easy to clean and service for someone who has not owned a handgun in the past.
4: Not unreasonably expensive to practice with (I will need to do this for a while before carrying it) on a college student's budget.

Basically, once I get recommendations, I'll start looking at renting a few at the local range and trying them out for a while.

Suave

Glock 17
Steyr M-1A

Para Ordnance P14-45 - Don't know about price, but I'm told it's an incredibly accurate and reliable gun. It's basically an improved knockoff of the 1911 (better accuracy, 14 shot clip).

daswig

dude, if you're big enough to hide anything, get a Glock 21 in .45 ACP. They absolutely, positively KICK ASS. We're talking 13+1 wholesome rounds of .45 ACP goodness, in a VERY controllable package. The .45 FAR surpasses the 9mm as far as lethality goes, but it's still not a magnum round, so it's highly controllable. They're highly reliable, very accurate for self defense use, takedown and maintenance is an absolute breeze, and they just RAWK!!!! Plus, you can still get cheap high-cap mags for them, until the "new and improved" AW ban passes.

MrTuffPaws

1: Reliable.

Only a few modern firearms are not reliable. Sig, HK, XD, Glock, etc, they own the market, and they are all pretty much the same in reliability (really really good). Don't let anyone fool you, all guns can and will jam. I have had Glocks jam on me, and my XD has miss-extracted a few times. Stay away from the SA sigmas and Hi points. Crap, but almost everything else will fit the bill.

If reliability is your number 1 concern, get a revolver. The always go bang unless the ammo is bad. Nothing wrong with a 357mag.

2: Good stopping power

Age old argument without a definite answer. A 22 cal can drop someone, while people have lived through point blank shots with a 40 cal. IMO, shot placement is key, but if you are concerned, then no matter what caliber, spend some money on some good defense ammo. I have no doubts about stopping someone with a 9mm and some good HPs or glassers.

3: Reasonably easy to clean and service for someone who has not owned a handgun in the past.

Again, almost all modern guns are easy to take down and clean. Some have little tricks like the CZ75 that needs a mag to push out a pin, but it is not that difficult. It is the rim fires that are hard as hell to take down and clean.

4: Not unreasonably expensive to practice with (I will need to do this for a while before carrying it) on a college student's budget.

If that is the case, then I would go for 9mm. Cheapest around. Of course if you have the extra money, you can get a 40 and then get a conversion barrel, but that only works on some guns (ie Glock and XD) that I know of.


All in all, do some research and find things you are interested in. Go to a well stocked store and see how they feel, if you can reach all of the controls, and how they point. I had a hard on for Glocks until I held my XD, and I had a hard on for XDs until I held a CZ P-01. There is a gun out there that that will fit you, so just take your time and try them out. Rent if you can and all that. And don't forget, only guys will small dicks will call you a pussy for carrying a 9mm.

arawn

All of what MTP said was good advice.

In addition, don't get caught up on the high-cap kick. You're carrying for self-defense, not carrying out vigilante style war against gang members (or so I hope). I've owned two P-14s, the standard and the limited edition, and while they were nice enough pistols, their build and action was nowhere near as nice as my Kimber.

As mentioned above, the key should always be what feels best in your hand when shooting.

Plus, you mentioned you were a college student. Were I you, I'd make myself very familiar with their bylaws about firearms on campus.





B.

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San Diego, CA

MSD

Not a concern. The police around here are really good, so I don't think I'l ever have to engage in vigilantism. Hi-cap isn't a big deal for me.

That's what I'm going to be going to the range for.

I already have that one covered. It's a Class B felony to carry on school grounds. Not going to do it.

Thanks for the responses, everyone. I'm looking into the suggestions. For some reason, every time I come into this forum, I find myself liking the way daswig thinks

swervedriver

I would second all the above advice. I would only add, and ask you consider the following. You're a big guy. You could probably conceal carry anything you like, and that's what you need to decide. I know people that carry full size 1911's, and I know people that carry bugs(super compacts). As far as caliber, I'd say 9mm or better. Rent or borrow as many pistols as you can. Find what fits your hands. You must be comfortable with the firearm if you're gonna carry it. From your criteria, reliability should be paramount. Revolvers fit this bill better than autos, though, I'm partial to Sigs. I believe fit should be highly considered. Your hands need to wrap around this thing like you were born to do it. Some pistols will point for you, others won't. Cleaning and expense should not be issues. Buy a gun, you'll learn to service it. Expense? 9mm is relatively cheap for practice. Hell, anything Winchester white box at Walmart is a good deal. Practice with the cheap stuff, and pack the good stuff. Cor-Bon is a favorite of mine. +P hollow-points are wonderful defensive rounds. Some would argue that you should practice with the good stuff, but that gets expensive. CCW shooting/defense situations usually occur at a ridiculously close range. If you've practiced, and you're packing good ammo, you'll save your/loved one's life.

tropple

Carrying is always nice, but, consider hauling ass as the first option.

If you carry, then _always_ carry. There's no feeling in the world like that of being in need and then reaching finding _nothing_.

I prefer .45 ACP. If you use factory hollow points, you can pump out some scaled-down ashtrays that make excellent holes. Take a good look at a .45 ACP hollow point. Makes me think of a small salad bowl.

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MSD

I'd rather only carry par-time that commit a felony every time I walk into school.

arawn

Felonies = Career Limiting Decisions.






B.

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JMJ Factory team
San Diego, CA

tropple

Death = Career Limiting Decision

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arawn

LOL!
Point taken.


B.

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JMJ Factory team
San Diego, CA

tropple

Only mentioned because I managed to walk out of something serious the day I left it home.

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MSD

This is true, and I'd like to see the law changed, but while at school, I'm rarely out of sight of an armed police officer, and if I park off-campus, I can leave it in a locked box in my trunk (in a garage patrolled by armed police officers. If, for some reason, I am unarmed and there is no officer nearby, I'll use the old, reliable strategy of doing exactly what the armed assailant tells me to do.

tropple

I wish I felt that safe. I wish I could work from home all the time.

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DelayedReaction

It's a said state of affairs when we fear the police more than we fear the criminals, but that's the way things are.

I would recommend investigating into a full size pistol that you're comfortable with. A lot of people seriously enjoy the 1911, and I'm one of them. Springfield makes a wonderful model in the form of the MilSpec, which has very nice sights. Apparently reliability is pretty much guaranteed if you replace the extractor with a Browning Hardcore and install some high quality mag springs. The 45 ACP is a univerally appreciated round, and the gun itself has been used for nearly a century.

I'm 6'10" and around 300 or so, and I've found that the 1911 feels really good when combined with Pachmyer or Hogue wrap-around grips. The Hogue grips in particular have a fantastic feel to them.

I've also enjoyed firing Glocks, but I prefer the 1911.

Either way, get out there and find what fits. The only way you'll be sure is if you've fired it enough.

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MSD

It's kind of nice to know the cops around school well enough that they stop in the student government room just to say hi to us, and occasionally (rarely) call next on the PS2 if they're on break.